St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-03-22
Laws Relating to Railways.

AmenulnE cnapter IL, General statutes OF
Laws Relating to Railways.
AN ACT to regulate common carriers and Great
| ing the railroad and warehouse commission OF
the State of Minnesota, and defining the duties
of such commission in relation to common
carriers.
Be it enacted by the Legislature Of the State Of
Minnesota:
| shall amply to any common carrier or carriers en-
I gagged in the transportation of passengers or
| property wholly bv railroad, or partly by rail-
road and partly by water, when both used
under \ common control, management or ar
rangement. for q carriage or shipment from one
! place station to another, both being within
| the State of Minnesota
Provided That nothing in this act shall ap-
ply to street railways or TO the carriage, storage
| or handling by any common carrier, OF property,
| free or at reduced ra es for the United States,
! or for the State OF Minnesota, or for any munich
pal government or corporation within the state,
for any charitable purpose, or to or from fairs
and expositions for exhibition thereau, Tor stock
for breeding purposes), or to the issuance Of
mileage excursion or communication passenger
tickets, at rates made equal TO all. or to trans
portation OF stock shipped with cars and moth
ing III the provisions OF this act shall be con-
strued to prevent common carriers, subject to
the provisions of this act, from issuing passes
for the free transportation of passengers.
(bl The tie IN railroad as used in this act shall
include all bridges or ferries used or operated in
| connection with any rail Dad, and also all the
road in use by any corporation operating q rail-
road, whether owned or operated under a con-
! tract, agreement or leasN; and the term trans
portatiou" shall include al instrumentalties of
| shipment or carriage.
SEC 3 (a) That all charges made by any
| common carrier subject to the provisions of this
act for any service rendered or to be rendered in
! the transportation of passengers or property as
aforesaid, or in connection Herewith or fer the
receiving, delivering, storage or handling of
such property shall be equal and reasonable
and every unequal and unreasonable charge for
such service is prohibited and declared TO be I'M
| lawful.
Provided, That one car load of freight of any
kind or class shall be transported at as low q
rate per ton, and per toa per mile, as any greater
| number of car loads of the same kind and class
from and to the same points OF origination and
destination
(b) 1t shall be unlawful for any common car
rer subject to the provisions Of this act, to make
or give any unequal or unreasonable preference
or advantage TO any particular person,
any particular description of traffic
| in any respect whatsoever, to sub
ject any particular person, company, firm,
corporation, or locality, or any particua ar de-
scription Of traffic, to any unequal or unreason-
able prejudice or disadvantage in any respect
| whatsoever.
SEC. 3. (a) That all common carriers, subject
to the provisions of this act shall, according to
their respective powers, provide, at the point of
| connection crossing Intersection, ample
facilities for transferring cars, AID for &C
commodating and transferring passengers. and
traffic OF all kinds and classes, from their lines
or tracks, to those of any other common carrier
| whose lines or tracks may connect WITH cross or
intersect their own, aud snail afford all equal and
reasonable facilities for The interchange of cars
and traffic between their respective lines, and for
the receiving forwarding and delivering of pass
engers and property and cals to and from their
several lines and those of other common carriers
connecting Herewith, and shall not discriminate
| IN their rates and charges between such connect
ing lines. on freights coming over such lines
but this shall not be construed as requiring any
common carrier to use for another common
coil
titles without reasonable compensation.
90 That it shall be unlawful for any common
carrier. subject to the provisions of this act to
enter into any combination, contract agree
ment, expressed or implied, to prevent, by
change of time or schedule or by carriage in diff
ferent cars or by any other means OF devices, the
carriage or freight from being continuous from the
place of shipment TO the place of destination
and no break of bulk, stoppage Or interruption
made by such common carrier shall prevent the
carriage of freight from being treated as one
continuous carriage from the place of shipment
to the place of destination unless such break,
stoppage or interruption was made in good faith
for some necessary purpose and without any in
tent to avoid unnecessarily interrupt such
continuous carriage or to evace any OF the pro-
visions of this act.
(c) Every common carrier operating railway
in this state shall, without unreasonable delay,
furnish, start and run cars for The transportation
of persons and property, which. within reason
able time heretofore Is offered for TRANSFORMATION
at any of its stations on its line Of road and
at the functions CT other railroads, aud at such
stopping places as may be established for re-
ceiving and discharging passengers and freghts;
and shall take, receive transport ands discharge
such passengers and property at, from and to
such stations functions and places, and from
all trains advertised to stop at the same, for pas
sengers and freights respectively, upon the due
payment or tender OF payment, of tolls freight or
fare therefor, if such payment is demanded.
Every such common carrier shall permit connec-
tions to be made and maintained in reasonable
manner with its side tracks to and from any
warehouse, elevator or mandatory without
reference to its size Or capacity: provided, that
this shall not be construed so as to require anv
any side track off from it's own land:
provided further. that where stations ten t1O)
miles or more apart the common carrier. when
required to do SO by the railroad and warehouse
commissioners, shall construct and maintain a
side track for the use of shippers between such
stations
Id Whenever any property is received by any
common carrier subject to the provisions of this
act, to be transported from one place to another
within this state, it shall be unlawful for such
common carrier to limit in any way. except as
stated in its classification schedule, hereinafter
provided for, its common law liability with
reference to such property while in its custody
common carrier, las herelnbefoIe men
toned,) such liability must include the absolute
responsibility OF the common carrier for the acts
of its agents in relation to such property.
SEC. t. That it shall be unlawful for any
common carrier subject to the provisions CT this
act, to enter into any contract, agreement, OF
combination with any other common carrier OF
carriers for the division pooling of business OF
different and competing railroads, or to
, divide between them the aggregate or net pro-
ceeds of the esrnings of such railroads, or any
portion thereof: and in case of an agreement for
the pooling of their buiness aforesaid, each day
OF its continuance shall be deemed separate
offense.
SEC. 5. That if any common carrier, subject
to the provisions of this act, shall, directly OF
indirectly, by any special rate, rebate, drawback
or other device charge, demand, collet or receive
from any person or persons greater or less COM
penSation for any service rendered, or to be rem
dered, in the transportation of persons or prop
erty subject to the provisions Of this act, than
it charges, demands, collects or receives from
any other person CT persons for doing for him OF
them q like and contemporaneous service IN the
transp ortation OF passengers or property, such
common carrier shall be deemed guilty of unjust
discrimination. which is hereby prohibited and
declared TO be unlawful.
SEC. 6. That it shall be unlawful for any COM
mon carrier. subject to the provisions Of this act
to charge receive any greater compensation
for the transportation OF passengers or OF like
kind or class and quantity of property, for a
shorter than for q longer distance over the same
line, the shorter being included within the
longer distance; but this shall not be construed
as authorizing any common carrier, subject tic
the provisions of this act to charge or receive as
great compensation for a shorter as for longer
distance
, Provided, however That upon application tc
the commission appointed under the provisions
of this act, such common carrier NAV, in specia
[ cases. after investigation by the commissioners
be authorized to charge less, for longer than fol
shorter distances, for the transportation of pas
sengers or property; and the commission may
from time to time prescribe the extent to which
such designated comm carrier may be relieved
from the operation Of this section of this act.
SEC. z. (a) That it shall be unlawful for any
common carrier, subject to the provisions o.
this act, to charge receive any greater COM
pensation, per ton, per mile, for the contempor'
} aneouS transportation OF the same class Of
freight for longer than for q shorter distance
over the same lie, in the same general direction
deDaTtnTe